Man’s violent history will be part of trial

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ELKHORN  Jurors will hear about a Whitewater man’s previous convictions for domestic violence if he goes to trial on a litany of charges, including attempted murder, a judge ruled this week.

Larry Shannon, 40, is accused of sexually assaulting a girl he knows, then stabbing the girl and her sister before leaving them bound with duct tape for hours last October, according to court documents.

Shannon then battered the girls’ mother and fled with one of the girls and her brother in a car, authorities said.

He was later captured in Rock County after a police chase, according to documents.

Walworth County prosecutors have charged Shannon with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of child sexual assault, three counts of false imprisonment and two counts of strangulation, among other offenses.

In a hearing Monday, Walworth County Judge John Race ruled that prosecutors could tell a jury about three cases on Shannon’s record if the case goes to trial:

n A 2002 conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery in Kankakee County, Ill., after Shannon raped a woman.

n A 2009 conviction for substantial battery in Rock County.

n A 2011 conviction for battery and possession of drug paraphernalia, also in Rock County.

District Attorney Daniel Necci argued those convictions show that Shannon has a history of violent behavior toward women with whom he is in relationships.

A trial was scheduled to start in early March, but it has since been delayed. Shannon is next due in court for a status conference May 8.